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Amy's Question
"Amy!"
Mrs. Grove called from the door that opened towards the garden. But no
answer came. The sun had set half an hour before, and his parting rays were
faintly tinging with gold and purple, few clouds that lay just alone the edge
of the western sky. In the east, the full moon was rising in all her beauty,
making pale the stars that were sparking in the firmament.
"Where is Amy?" she asked. "Has any one seen her come
in?"
"I saw her go up stairs with her knitting in her hand half an hour
ago," said Amy's brother, who was busily at work with his knife on a block
of pine wood, trying to make a boat.
Mrs. Grove went to the foot of the stairs, and called again. But there was
no reply.
"I wonder where the child can be," she said to herself, a slight
feeling of anxiety crossing her mind. So she went up stairs to looks for her.
The door of Amy's bedroom was shut, but on pushing it open Mrs. Grove saw her
little girl sitting at the open window, so lost in the beauty of the moonlit
sky and her own thoughts that she did not hear the noise of her mother's
entrance.
"Amy," said Mrs. Grove.
The child started, and then said quickly,--
"O, mother! Come and see! Isn't it lovely?"
"What are you looking at, dear?" asked Mrs. Grove, as she sat
down by her side, and drew an arm around her.
"At the moon, and stars, and the lake away off by the hill. See what a
great road of light lies across the water! Isn't it beautiful, mother? And it
makes me feel so quiet and happy. I wonder why it is?"
"Shall I tell you the reason?"
"O, yes, mother, dear! What is the reason?"
"God made everything that is good and beautiful."
"O, yes, I know that!"
"Good and beautiful for the sake of man; because man is the highest
thing of creation and nearest to God. All things below him were created for his
good; that is, God made them for him to use in sustaining the life of his body
or the life of his soul."
"I don't see what use I can make of the moon and stars," said
Amy.
"And yet," answered her mother, "you said only a minute ago
that the beauty of this moon-light evening made you feel so quiet and
happy."
"O, yes! That is so; and you were going to tell me why it was."
"First," said the mother, "let me, remind you that the moon and
stars give us light by night, and that, if you happened to be away at a
neighbor's after the sun went down, they would be of great use in showing you
the path home-ward."
"I didn't think of that when I spoke of not seeing what use I could
make, of the moon and stars," Amy replied.
Her mother went on,--
"God made everything that is good and beautiful for the stake of man,
as I have just told you; and each of these good and beautiful things of
creation comes to us with a double blessing,--one for our bodies and the other
for our souls. The moon and stars not only give light this evening to make dark
ways plain, but their calm presence fills our souls with peace. And they do so,
because all things of nature being the work of God, have in them a likeness of something
in himself not seen by our eyes, but felt in our souls. Do you understand
anything of what I mean, Amy?"
"Just a little, only," answered the child. "Do you mean,
mother dear, that God is inside of the moon and stars, and everything else that
he has made?"
"Not exactly what I mean; but that he has so made them, that each
created thin is as a mirror in which our souls may see something of his love
and his wisdom reflected. In the water we see an image of his truth, that, if
learned, will satisfy our thirsty minds and cleanse us from impurity. In the
sun we see an image of his love, that gives light, and warmth, and all beauty
and health to our souls."
"And what in the moon?" asked Amy.
"The moon is cold and calm, not warm and brilliant like the sun, which
tells us of God's love. Like truths learned, but not made warm and bright by
love, it shows us the way in times of darkness. But you are too young to
understand much about this. Only keep in your memory that every good and
beautiful thing you see, being made by God, reflects something of his nature
and quality to your soul and that this is why the lovely, the grand, the
beautiful, the pure, and sweet things of nature fill your heart with peace or
delight when you gaze at them."
For a little while after this they sat looking out of the window, both
feeling very peaceful in the presence of God and his works. Then voice was
heard below, and Amy, starting up, exclaimed,--
"O, there is father!" and taking her mother's hand, went down to
meet him.
Analysis
The following paragraphs contain some of the characteristics that are
present in the story. First at all, the story is narrated in third person
because the narrator knew at length all what happens in the story.
Subsequently, in terms of setting this story was developed at Mrs. Grove’s
house specifically in Amy’s bedroom because it was where a big part of the
story was developed. Then, the setting time of all the story took place at
night meanwhile Mrs. Grove and Amy were talking and looking at the moon by the window.
In addition, the story has 3 characters. The protagonists, who are Mrs.
Groove and Amy. Mrs. Grove seems a happy, patient and wise person because in
the way she speaks to Amy it can be interpreted as person with wisdoms., In the
other case, the personality of Amy is shown as a happy and interesting child
who is eager to acquire about the world, and to find answers for all her
questions. On the other hand, there is the Amy’s brother who is a wood
craftsman, and he just appears at the beginning of the story when her mother
asked him for Amy.
Finally, this symbol of this story can be consider the moon, because apart from that is when Amy get inspired to thinking about those events that happens in life, and thanks to them her mother gave her many of the answers that she was looking for, so since that day Amy has another perspective of life.
References
“Amy’s Question.” Americanliterature.com, 2020, https://americanliterature.com/author/ts-arthur/short-story/amys-question. November 22, 2020.
“T.S. Arthur.” Americanliterature.com, 2020, https://americanliterature.com/author/ts-arthur. November 22, 2020.
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